Calm Down Your Dog By Playing Him Reggae Music

How do you calm down a stressed-out dog? This isn’t the setup to a joke, but rather, a legitimate question. Do you soothingly pet your whimpering pup until he stops freaking out? Do you howl in solidarity until he gets bored of barking and eventually shuts up? While some of these strategies may suit your own canine just fine, how about this third option from Scottish scientists: Play your pooch some totally mellow reggae music. In a new study from the University of Glasgow, researchers found that the best way to help your dog relax is to put on some Bob Marley, suggesting that the only difference between your furry little buddy and your stoner college roommate is that only one of them intentionally eats kibble when he has the munchies.

Scientists played a bunch of music genres for dogs in a kennel—including pop, Motown, and classical—to see what kind of tunes they’d respond to best. The pups showed the highest positive changes in behavior and a decrease in stress levels when subjected to some sweet Jamaican riddims, according to the study authors by way of BBC. The canines showed a similar response to soft rock . . . but please don’t make your dog mellow out to like, Steve Winwood or something. Because don’t forget that you’ll also have to listen to “Back in the High Life Again.” So queue up some Toots and the Maytals instead. It’ll be chill.

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